With lots of hidden vegetables, lean ground turkey and plenty of flavourful seasonings, these ground turkey sloppy joes are a scrumptious sloppy joe recipe you’ll want to enjoy again and again! Perfect for an easy weeknight supper!

Turkey sloppy joe garnished with shredded cabbage.

Hi friends!

Today I’m sharing another easy ground turkey recipe with you.

Hubby and I love these ground turkey sloppy joes. They’re unbelievably simple to whip up and are so delicious.

What I especially love about these homemade sloppy joes is that they have hidden veggies. You get an extra dose of goodness from shredded zucchini and carrot. So for those picky eaters, you could sneak some extra nutrition. How cool is that?

Ground turkey is not only relatively budget friendly, but it’s also super tasty! It’s a great alternative when you want to mix up your sloppy joes.

I tested out these ground turkey sloppy joes a whole bunch of times and now I’m so happy to be sharing the recipe with you.

Why We Love This Recipe

They’re made with a leaner protein than the ground beef version.
This recipe is made in one pan for easy cleanup.
They sneak in veggies for extra nutrition.
They taste delicious!

Ingredients for sloppy joes with ground turkey.

How To Make Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes

Full details on how to make these sloppy joes are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

In a pan, cook onion and garlic in a little olive oil until softened a little. Add bell pepper, carrot and zucchini and cook just a little.

Vegetables in a pan, being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Add ground turkey, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook turkey until fully cooked through.

Ground turkey and veggies in a pan, being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Pour in tomato paste, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, and water and simmer for a little until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

Ground turkey sloppy joe mixture in a pan, being stirred with a wooden spoon.

Pile the ground turkey sloppy joe mixture onto buns and garnish to your heart’s content!

Ground turkey sloppy joe garnished with shredded cabbage, sitting next to sliced jalapeno.

Can I Omit the Buns?

For sure! If you want to mix things up, nix the buns and try sloppy joe lettuce wraps. Boston lettuce works great here!

Garnish Ideas

Shredded or sliced cheese
Coleslaw or shredded cabbage
Sliced pickle
Pickled red onion or thinly sliced raw onion
Pickled hot peppers or thinly sliced fresh peppers

Two turkey sloppy joes alongside some slices of jalapeno pepper and shredded cheese.

What To Serve With Sloppy Joes

Any of these sides would be delicious served with turkey sloppy joes:

Fries or potato wedges
Pesto potatoes
Side salad
Roasted broccoli
Coleslaw
Potato salad
Pickle
Potato chips
Tomato basil soup

Tips and Variations

I prefer things not too loose or saucy, but if you want a looser consistency, simply add more water and reduce to your desired consistency.
For an added kick, mix in more chili flakes.
Don’t have balsamic vinegar? Mix in some cider vinegar instead.
If you don’t happen to have zucchini on hand (or prefer not to use), simply replace it with more carrot.

Two hands holding a sloppy joe sandwich made with ground turkey.

More Easy Sandwich Recipes

If you make this easy sloppy joe recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

Ground turkey sloppy joe garnished with shredded cabbage, next to sliced jalapeno.

Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes

Dawn | Girl Heart Food

With lots of hidden vegetables, lean ground turkey and plenty of flavourful seasonings, these ground turkey sloppy joes are a scrumptious sloppy joe recipe you'll want to enjoy again and again! Perfect for an easy weeknight supper!

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Save Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Main Course

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, cut into small dice
1 carrot, peeled and grated or shredded (about 1 cup)
1 zucchini, shredded (about 1.5 cups)
1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce, 1 ¾ cups
2 to 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce
¼ cup water, rinse out your empty can of tomato sauce and use that water
6 burger buns, cut in half horizontally (if not already precut)

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat, then add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until onion has softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, carrot and zucchini. Cook, stirring often, about 3 to 5 minutes.
To veggie mixture, add ground turkey, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili powder, paprika, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine everything. Cook turkey, breaking it into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until it's fully cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Once turkey is cooked, stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and water. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until you've reached your desired consistency.
To serve, portion the sloppy joe mixture onto buns and garnish (if desired) with your favourite sloppy joe toppings or enjoy as is.

A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Keyword ground turkey recipe

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